Wipe Out
by Anthony Quinten
Summary: Tilly lives in 2030. But things haven't changed that much. People are still using oil in everyday activities, which could be fatal for everyone. HAVE YOU READ THE UGLIES TRILOGY? EVER WONDERED WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RUSTIES? THIS IS MY ACCOUNT.
1. Home

**HOME**

Tilly stared out the window, in a haze. She was dreaming, as she usally did, letting her mind run wild and free. She was a writer, and a good one at that. She usually liked to let her thoughts run wild before writing anything – her good stories were the ones she didn't have to work hard to produce. Tilly sighed. No good ideas seemed to come to mind at the moment. Tilly wondered if it was the boring world that surrounded her. She stared at the walls around her. Plain. How boring. "Tilly, come downstairs, dinner's ready!" the walls shouted. Tilly sighed – she did that often. She walked over to her wall screen and blinked obviously, five times. A picture of downstairs was displayed on her wallscreen, through hologram. The rest of her family were glaring at her. Whoops. "I'm coming down!" Tilly assured her mother. Tilly walked out of the room, and the soft glow of her bedroom lights faded. Tilly graced the stairs and walked down into the family room.

Tilly's family was waiting for her. Her dad was at the table. She didn't even hear him come in. He must have come back early from Sydney. "Dad!" Tilly yelled, delighted.

Dad looked hurt. "You didn't even come to greet me when I came in the front door."

"I didn't hear the car!" Tilly argued. It was true. You never heard them these days. Hydrogen engines. Tilly sat down, and stared at her plate in horror. "What is this?" Tilly asked her mother, horrified. Tilly's mum looked taken aback. "It's steamed Asian greens. You know they're the only vegetables you can get at the moment; ones imported from Asia!" That was true. The demand for vegetables in Australia had dropped dramatically. The demand had dropped so dramatically that there simply wasn't a business for vegetables there any more. You had to place an order personally to an overseas farm if you wanted vegetables. They were cryogenically frozen and shipped over. Tilly sighed, as usual. She picked up her fork and ate.

After dinner, Tilly helped her mother clear the table. "Tilly, why didn't you come and greet your father when he came home? You know he's hardly ever home," Tilly's mother complained. Tilly's jaw dropped open. How could this be happening? She didn't hear the car. "Mum, you know new cars are silent these days!" Tilly yelled. Tilly's mum shook her head. "The house would have told you." She tapped the small wallscreen that was mounted on the kitchen wall. That was right. The house. Its name was Betty, named after Milly's great grandmother. Every house in Australia had one. The authorities said they installed them for safety. They were there to keep and eye on everyone. In case anyone was doing the wrong thing. If someone broke into your house, the house would know, and notify the police. Seemed fine. The only setback was that the house told you everything that was going on. You had no excuse not to be informed. "Then, I guess I was lost in my imagination!" Tilly said. She shook her head, and walked away.


	2. Apology

**APOLOGY**

Tilly walked gingerly towards the lounge room. She hated walking in the small hallway that divided the family room from the formal lounge and dining room. The computer was there, which meant her younger brother Sean was there. Sean was what Tilly described as "a fat little grunter." He complained about everything. He was fat, lazy and rude. He was spoilt. And most of all, he was always glued to the computer. Tilly sighed. Hopefully she'd make it through this small space without a comment from her brother. She slipped quietly across the hallway, hoping that Betty wouldn't recognise her moving. She did. "Tilly entering hallway," Betty announced. Tilly sighed. She had never mastered the art of hallway-sneaking. Sean spun around on his computer chair, one hand in a bag of chips, the other on the computer mouse. "Hey, Tilly," Sean sneered. "Um, you're an idiot!" Tilly snorted at the lame insult, and kept walking. He _was_ stupid.

Dad was lounging on the couch with Jane glued to his chest. Jane was Tilly's younger sister. She was 10, and Tilly was 14. Sean was 12. Jane glared at Tilly. Dad did the same. "Look dad, I'm sorry I didn't come straight to the door!" Tilly yelled.

"But the house warned you!"

Jane smirked, loving that she was more loved than Tilly at that moment. Jane always seemed to be in a non-existent competition with Tilly.

"I didn't hear it!" Tilly sighed.

"I just thought that you didn't care," dad whispered.

Tilly shook her head. "Of course I care!" Tilly said. She hugged her father. He smiled. A happy ending, she hoped. He'd always been afraid of losing her, she thought. "You won't even lose me, dad," Tilly assured her father. She was wrong, of course. The wallscreen blared in the semi-dark room. The news was on. Tilly blinked through the 20 standard channels. Nothing good was on. All reality TV. Boring. Dad took control of the TV, and blinked it back to the news. He blinked a lock on the TV, and glanced back at Tilly. His eyes twinkled, saying "Ha ha, I won!" Tilly turned her attention back to the news. Boring. They were talking about the stock market. So boring. Suddenly, the TV sound was turned up automatically and the stock market report was interrupted. The news reporter had a grim look on her face. "Viewers, we have some bad news," she said. "Oil has started exploding at six major oil refineries in the Middle East. These blasts have killed many. The cause of the blasts is unknown, but police have ruled out terrorism." At the sound of the word "terrorism," Tilly shuddered. Terrorism was just so common these days. The mere thought of it frightened Tilly. Mum walked in. "Time for bed, kids!" she informed them. Tilly got up. She was tired. Nothing was stopping her from going to bed. She bid everyone goodnight, and climbed the stairs up to her bedroom. She slept badly that night.


	3. Revelation

**REVELATION**

Tilly's dad dropped her off at school on his way to the airport. On the way to school, Tilly could see that there was total chaos at the petrol stations. People were frantically trying to fill up their cars before the station ran out of petrol. Some petrol stations had already run out. Some people hadn't yet gotten hydrogen powered cars. They relied on petrol. Tilly's dad pulled into the curb. The door slid open smoothly. The suspension sank with a small hiss. Tilly smiled. Technology ruled. "Bye!" she said. She stepped out and scanned the area around her. School was a strange experience for Tilly. You met such a variety of people at school. A lot of them were fat at Tilly's school. The trendy uniform didn't do them much good, either. Jumpsuits didn't look good on fat people, and the spindly high-heel on the school boots hardly supported their weight. Tilly walked towards the school, hoping to have an alright day.

The day was far from alright. It steadily got worse as the day went on. Tilly's morning was filled with boring classes and fat people that thought they were better than her. That was normal. The worst part of her day was at lunchtime. When it came to choosing lunch in the cafeteria, Tilly was one of the only people that walked over to the "Healthy food tray." Everyone else flocked to the other side of the cafeteria, where the fattening food was being served. Greasy, oily hamburgers served with fries clung to people's food trays as they carried them, delighted-looking expressions drawn on their piggy faces. Tilly shook her head. She'd never let herself get obese. Tilly sat down at a random table. Soon after, Tilly's friend, Violet, sat down. Violet and Tilly were alike. Violet held a tray carrying a healthy salad sandwich. Tilly hadn't seen Violet all day. They were in different classes. "Did you hear about the explosions?" Violet asked. Tilly nodded. "It isn't terrorism either. I wonder what the cause is." Suddenly, a high-pitched wailing sound shot across the cafeteria. Everyone covered their ears, and glanced angrily up at the walls. Bloody loudspeaker. The school secretary's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Teachers and students, we have a problem," she said, "I'm afraid that the cause of the oil blasts has been discovered. Spores have been released into the air, and these spores settle in the oil. The oil then becomes unstable, and explodes when it reacts with oxygen. There is oxygen all around us, which is a big problem." Tilly felt panic come over her. The secretary continued. "When the oil explodes, more of the spores are released into the air, and the problem spreads. At the moment, the spores only seem to be in the middle eastern region." Tilly sighed. Someone would contain it. "Unfortunately, no one knows how to contain it," the secretary continued. Tilly felt panic gripping her again. "We have been forced to send you home, where it is safer for you. Your parents have been emailed, and they will come to collect you soon. Thankyou."

Tilly was the last person to be picked up. She sat in the cafeteria, waiting for her name to be called over the loudspeaker. "Tilly Wentworth," the secretary announced. Milly stood up, and walked to the front door. They slid open slowly, and Tilly's mum was standing outside. She looked worried. Tilly's mum drove a petrol-engined car. She glanced at it nervously. Tilly climbed aboard. "Can we get this thing home please, before it explodes?" Tilly asked. Mum nodded, and placed her microchip in its slot. The car started, and welcomed them. Tilly touched the hollogramic screen, and the radio jumped to life. Tilly's mum parked the car in the park down the road. She didn't want it exploding in the driveway. Tilly opened the door, and walked inside the house. Then something occurred to her. Dad was in Sydney. He was catching a plane to get home. "Mum, where's dad?" Tilly asked.

"He's on a plane," Tilly's mother replied.


	4. Dr Cable

**DR. CABLE**

It was about 7 o'clock when Tilly's family found out. They were watching the news on TV, and a special report came on. Even Sean glanced away from the computer screen to watch it. A plane had exploded mid-air. The plane was travelling from Sydney to Melbourne. Tilly's father was on that plane. Tilly didn't know what to say. She had promised her father that he would never lose her. In a second, she had broken her promise.

It was around 8 o'clock when the phone rang. "Incoming video call to Tilly Wentworth from unknown sender," Betty announced. Tilly walked over to the phone, and picked it up. A hologram shot out of the top of the slender piece of plastic. There was no picture. Only sound came. A cruel, screeching sound cut through the air like a knife. "Are you alone, Tilly?" it asked. "Yes," Tilly replied. Picture came. It was of a beautiful woman, but she was scary. She had dark, evil eyes and sharp facial features. Her voice and looks combined sent shivers down Tilly's spine. "That's good," she said, with a thin smile, "Because I have good news for you.

Her name was Dr. Cable the first. Tilly guessed she had a cruel-looking and sounding daughter with the same name, since Dr. Cable mentioned that she was "the first." "Tilly Wentworth," she announced, "You are one lucky girl. You have been chosen to live, which is great for you!" Tilly didn't want to think about life and death after what had happened earlier, but was none the less interested in what Dr. Cable was saying. "The world as you know it is coming to an end, and about ½ its population will be eradicated," Dr. Cable continued, smiling, as if this was all nice as pie. "The other half of the population will continue to live, and you are part of that percentage!"

"How do you know all this?" Tilly questioned.

"Because," Dr. Cable said, "it was planned."

Tilly found it hard to grasp this. "So you're saying that all of these oil spores were put out purposely?" she questioned, amazed.

"Yes," Dr. Cable replied. "You see, Tilly, for centuries humans have been ruining the world. Humans are like a cancer to the earth. We keep multiplying all the time, and destroying the environment more and more as time goes on. The world leaders have recognised this, and have decided that this must stop. They have employed scientists to create the spores and release them. They will spread, and eventually, well……" She trailed off.

Tilly didn't know how to feel. This was crazy talk. No one would do this, would they? Suddenly, anger welled up inside her. "That oil attack killed my dad!" she shouted. "And it was _planned?_ How could the governments do this? It's unfair, it's unjust!"

"Calm down Tilly!" Dr. Cable ordered sharply. "It was the only way!"

Tilly shook her head. "I'm hanging up!" she blubbered. Dr. Cable smiled.

"But Tilly, if you hang up, you won't get to hear more," Dr. Cable said, with a thin smile. "Don't you want to know why your father was killed?"

"When the world leaders came up with this plan five years ago, they started a new organisation within their own governments." Dr. Cable explained. "This organisation is "Special Circumstances," since the leaders figured that this whole "world destruction" thing was a pretty special circumstance."

"Hence the name," Tilly muttered.

"We have organised everything; the development of the spores, their release, making sure they spread, and _selection._" Dr. Cable smiled at this word.

"What exactly is _selection?_" Tilly asked, but she was pretty sure she already knew what it was.

"You see, the whole point of this _operation _is to get rid of some of the population so there aren't as many people to destroy everything," Dr. Cable replied. "Selecting those people is a hard task. You see, we don't want old fuddy-duddies in their wheelchairs whizzing around a new society, we want young, virile people like you, who can eventually have kids. But not too many kids," Dr. Cable said sharply.

"And since I'm young and virile, I've been selected," Tilly said dully. Dr. Cable smiled. "Also, you're creative, Tilly. You're smart. You're a _writer, _for goodness sake. Most kids your age couldn't even write! They're too busy playing stupid video games." Dr. Cable's eyes flashed.

"How do you know all this?" Tilly asked. Dr. Cable smiled slyly.

"Tilly, do you remember exactly how long ago _Betty, _as you dub her, was installed?" Dr. Cable asked.

"5 years ago," Tilly replied. Then it hit her. Betty and every other home minder thingy was installed so Special Circumstances could spy on her. Even though Betty wasn't human, she couldn't even look at her any more. She felt betrayed. She'd felt like Betty and her were friends; looking up stuff on the internet together, getting Betty to read her stories through laser technology, waking up and saying "good morning" to her every day of the past 5 years. But Betty was just a piece of technology, used to watch her every move, and decide who was better than who. Tilly sighed, as she usually did.

"Tilly, I've emailed you a list of everyone in the world who will be saved from the disaster. If I was you, I would read it quickly, and follow the instructions on the email. It is essential that you do not tell anyone that I called, nor shall you tell anyone about anything I said. If you do, I will know. Betty is watching you. Goodbye." In a flourish, Dr. Cable was gone, possibly forever.


	5. Selection

**SELECTION**

"Um, going to bed mum, can't stay up much longer," Tilly lied. Mum was crying.

"Oh, my poor baby, wanting to get away from it all, you can talk to me, you know!" Mum sobbed. Jane sat next to mum on the couch, and dabbed her eyes with a tissue. Sean sat down next to Jane, and stared aimlessly at the wallscreen. When Tilly looked into her mum's eyes, she wanted to simply sit down next to mum, and sob, and tell her all about her conversation with the scary Dr. Cable. Tilly sat down. Mum put her arm around Tilly. "I can't believe he's gone," Tilly whispered. Mum nodded. "Either can I. I just expect him to walk through the door, but he's not going to!"

Jane started to wail. "What if he survived mum, what if he's alright?" Jane asked through tears. Mum shook her head. "The plane fell straight out of the sky dear. He didn't survive; it's not possible. It was all just a _terrible _accident." Tilly had been sitting there, content, itching not to say something about her conversation with Dr. Cable. At mum's remark about the plane crash being an accident, Tilly couldn't take it anymore. She stared into her mother's eyes. "Mum, I have something to tell you," Tilly announced.

"Yes, dear?" Mum asked.

"The accident," Tilly said. "It was…." Tilly stopped. Something had caught her eye - the cameras mounted to the roof in each corner of the room - Betty's cameras. She couldn't tell her mum – if mum was supposed to know about how the oil spores came to exist, then Dr. Cable would have told her. If Tilly told her mother about the spores, who knew what Dr. Cable would do to her – she was evil! Mum stared at Tilly. "What dear?" Mum asked.

"The accident, it was…….really bad," Tilly said hastily. Mum nodded, and blew her nose on a tissue. "Why don't we sit around the old wallscreen, and watch a slideshow of photos? Maybe we'll spot some good ones of your father?" Mum suggested. Tilly thought about this. "Mum, I think that's a great idea," Tilly said. "But first, can I please go up to my room. I need to check something."

Tilly pressed the "Power" button on the computer. "Come on, come on!" she urged it. Two holograms shot out of the top of the slender piece of metal – one was the screen, and the other was a keyboard and mouse. Tilly touched the keyboard hologram. It read her finger. "Welcome, Tilly!" it greeted. "You're in an awfully good mood," Tilly muttered under her breath. Tilly opened her email program. Dr. Cable's email was there. Tilly opened it. There was a file attached. Tilly opened it with the wink of an eye. It was some kind of foreign program, one that Tilly hadn't learnt about in school. There was a small box at the top of the page. "What's that?" Tilly asked, waving the mouse over the box. "This is a box where you type in the name of a subject to see if they are selected," the computer announced. Tilly typed in her name. Everything about her was listed, including a school photo. Tilly laughed. She had always wondered where your school photo went. Now she knew. Tilly typed in Violet's name. Luckily, she was _selected. _Tilly sighed with relief. At least she'd be taking a friend with her. Now was the moment of truth. Was the rest of her family coming with her to be saved?


	6. Life in the Suburbs

**LIFE IN THE SUBURBS**

"Lucinda Wentworth," Tilly typed into the box, staring at her mother's name for a moment. She was a bit scared to hit enter on the keypad. In a flash of a second she would find out her mother's fate. It was scary. Tilly braced herself, and struck the enter key. All of her mother's details were there. Almost everything she'd ever done was listed. There was video footage of her, pictures from her childhood in the early 2000's, everything. Tilly scanned all of the information before she came to the end of it all. At the end of all of the information, in big bold red letters, were the terrible words: _Not Selected. _Tilly knew it. Mum was too old. She had been an uncreative, boring, normal citizen since she came to adulthood. Special circumstances would never have selected her. She typed in the rest of her family's names. None of them were selected either. Sean was too young and uncreative, the same with Jane. All Jane ever wanted was what most girls seemed to want this day: a pretty face, a guy on their arm and some hip clothes. All Sean wanted was what most boys wanted these days: to sit on the computer all day, sneer at anyone whenever they could and to eat chips. Tilly figured Special Circumstances thought that the rest of her family would tie her down. Tilly shook her head sadly, and toggled back to Dr. Cable's email.

"_Dear Tilly," _it started. _"It is essential that you take action immediately. Down at Special Circumstances we predict that within 12 hours the spores will have reached your suburb, and destroy everything you have ever known. Tilly, we will take you to a new city that has been built. It is top-secret and is protected from the spores by a large bubble. You will be safe there and ready to start your new life. Tilly, we will tell you everything when we have a chance, but for now, I urge you not to tell anyone about this new city, or any other information you have about this little development. If you do, you won't be coming to live a new life, and will be doomed to being blown up. Don't think we won't leave you behind. We don't want to hurt you, but if we have to, we will. Tilly, meet me at the Mall that is only three blocks away from your house. It's closed, but I will be waiting inside, in the food court with all the other people that have been selected. You will then be taken to live your new life._

_Thankyou, that is all._

_Dr. Cable."_

Tilly scooted downstairs and crept towards the door. If she could just make it out the door without anyone hearing…. "Tilly leaving house," Betty announced. Oh yeah, that was right, Betty. Mum looked up from the couch, where she was watching photos of her deceased husband on the wallscreen. "Where are you going?" mum asked.

"Um, to put something in the bin," Tilly lied. Mum raised one eyebrow.

"How could you care about putting things in the bin when your father just died?" mum asked warily.

"I have to keep things spick and span!" Tilly said nervously.

"Alright, but don't be out there for long," mum warned. "These spores could be headed for us soon. We need to stay indoors!" Tilly nodded, and walked out the door, possibly leaving her family forever.

Tilly stopped in front of the garage and pressed her finger on the small handle on the bottom of it. It read her fingerprint, and opened. Tilly looked around at the mess in the garage, searching for her hoverboard. She was sure she had placed it in here all those years ago. The lights turned on automatically, sensing that Tilly had entered the room, and Tilly spotted the board, hidden underneath a pile of old newspapers that dad had collected throughout his life. Tilly walked over and read some of the newspapers. One was from 2006, and was crinkled and yellow. Tilly had read this one before; it talked about global warming, and how it was getting worse. Tilly flicked through the pile and saw some other newspapers, ones with headlines about the Olympics, the first hoverboard, and more recently, the first person to land on Mars. People had done so many amazing things, yet still did terrible things. All of the good work was being left behind forever, and a new world would begin. Tilly sighed. No time for stopping for a relaxing read. It was time to get a move on. Tilly pulled the hoverboard out from underneath the newspapers and placed her finger on the board. It read it with lasers and suddenly, the board switched on. It was low on electricity. It struggled to stay afloat, it's electric engines making bad noises as they tried to keep the board in the air. But Tilly didn't want to walk to the mall; what if a car exploded – it'd be hard to get away on foot, but on a hoverboard, that would be easy. Tilly pulled herself up onto the hoverboard and stood shakily. The hoverboard sank close to the ground under Tilly's weight. Tilly leant forward, and the board flew away.

While Tilly cruised through the streets, she stared up at the mall. It dominated the highest mountain in Tilly's town, which was a new estate. The mountain and the surrounding area had once been a place of tourist interest back when Tilly's father was a child, but the population had grown and people wanted a fancy new estate to live in. Because of this, there was extensive work done on the hill to make it flat at the top, and the mall was placed on this flat area. The super-freeway that twisted its way around the whole of Melbourne was extended through the estate, and then up to the mall. Tilly's town was only around 15 years old, and was constantly being updated with new technology. The rubbish bins were connected to the Melbourne tip by pipes, the streetlamps told you ever piece of information about its street if you blinked at it, and on every street there were information devices that floated around the street. All you had to do was call one, and you could know anything about what was going on in the world, all for the price of a chocolate bar: $6.00. No one was out on the town on this particular night, Tilly realised. They were probably hiding indoors, afraid for their safety. Some houses even had boards placed across their windows. Tilly turned the street corner into Madison Avenue. This was Violet's street. As Tilly approached Violet's house, she saw someone slowly swinging on the swing-set in Madison Park. Tilly turned into the park to see who it was. The hoverboard headlight shone on the person. It was Violet.


	7. The Mall

**THE MALL **

"I was waiting for you," Violet said. Tilly nodded.

"Dr. Cable called you?" Tilly asked.

"Yep," Violet replied.

"Your parents aren't coming either?" Tilly asked.

Violet shook her head. Tears shone in her eyes. "Either is Brandon," she sobbed. Tilly was in shock. Brandon was Violet's twin. They did everything together, and were so alike. So why was Violet coming, and not Brandon? "Why isn't he coming?" Tilly asked.

"He's dead," Violet replied. Tilly didn't know what to say.

"Violet, I'm so sorry," Tilly said comfortingly.

"Remember how he was on that school trip?" Violet asked. Tilly nodded. "Well, he was coming home on the plane. It blew up Tilly, it blew up!" Suddenly, Tilly burst into tears. "He was on a plane from Sydney to Melbourne, wasn't he?" Tilly asked. Violet nodded. "Well so was dad, Violet," Tilly sobbed. The two girls just stood, crying, and hugged each other comfortingly. "We'd better get going," Violet sobbed. Tilly nodded, and the girls picked up their hoverboards and left.

Tilly walked through the mall doors, trying to find her way around in the dark. She glanced at the photos of smiling people plastered all over the walls, on advertisements for the mall. Tilly and Violet headed for the food court, where lights were on. There were people everywhere inside, chatting quietly to each other as they sat at tables. Tilly and Violet walked in and found a table. Tilly looked around the food court, looking for Dr. Cable amongst all the fast-food outlets that surrounded her. She wasn't in sight. Violet interrupted Tilly's observing. "Tilly, I don't think I can do it," Violet sighed.

"Do what?" Tilly asked absent-mindedly.

"Start a new life without my family," Violet replied. Tilly nodded.

"When I saw my family for….the last time, I started to think I couldn't leave," Tilly said. Violet nodded. "Well, maybe we could….." Violet started, but the room went quiet. A stage rose from the floor of the food court and revealed the beast it held.


	8. Escape

**ESCAPE**

"Friends!" Dr. Cable welcomed, "It is time for you to start your new life!"

Tilly's stomach lurched. Could she do this? Dr. Cable went on with information about the new city that Tilly would be taken to. "The city is in a secret location, still in Australia. It is built around the latest technology. It will be filled with people like you, my friends, _special _people." Dr. Cable's eyes narrowed, and she smiled an evil smile. "But if you put _one _foot out of line in the new city, punishment will be _extremely _severe." Tilly stood up. It was a decision of her heart, not her head. "Dr. Cable!" Tilly shouted, "I have to go to the bathroom." Dr. Cable groaned. "Can it wait?" she asked. Tilly shook her head. "Alright," Dr. Cable sighed. "But take someone with you in case something happens to you. We _are _in a danger area here. This town could blow any second!" Tilly yanked at Violet's arm, and dragged her into the bathroom, inspecting the cruel-looking people blocking the entrances to the food court.

"What are you doing?" Violet hissed.

"I can't do this!" Tilly cried. "You can't either!"

Violet nodded sadly. "No, I don't think I can," Violet admitted. "I just can't leave my family behind. It's unfair."

"We have to leave," Tilly said.

"How, and what will we do after we……." Violet was interrupted by a large explosion outside. The spores had reached Tilly's town sooner than expected. But Tilly wasn't paying attention to the explosions. She was looking at the camera perched in the corner of the room. For all she knew, she could be being watched right now. Tilly had to act now. She glanced wildly around the room for an exit. The only way out of the bathroom was through an electronically padlocked door in the corner of the small room. Tilly hurried over to it. "What are you doing?" Violet asked.

"We've got to open the door," Tilly said, hurriedly, "The specials will be on their way."

"Lock the door, Violet!" Tilly yelled.

"Why?" Violet asked.

"Just do it!" Violet screamed. Now was no time for lolly gagging! Violet got the picture. She walked over to the door and slid the lock closed. Luckily it wasn't an electronic lock, or else she would have needed a finger print to lock it. That was the problem with the lock on the door Tilly was trying to open. It needed a finger print, and it wouldn't read Tilly's. The door rattled on its hinges. "Open up!" someone shouted. "We don't want to hurt you, but if we have to, we will!" Violet leant against the door. She realised why she had to lock the door. Tilly looked around for something to smash the lock with. All she could see was toilet cubicles and sinks. Then Tilly glanced down at her shoes. She had always thought the heel was too sharp. It would go straight through the hollow wooden door with ease. Tilly kicked up her heel, and stabbed the door. A hole formed. Tilly poked her gloved finger into the hole and made it larger. She pulled a hole that was large enough to fit through in the door and called out to Violet. "Violet, I've made a hole, let go of the door!" Tilly called. Violet ran around the corner as Tilly slid through the hole with some trouble. Thank god she was thin. Violet slid half of her body through the door before a hand grabbed her foot. It was a Special, pulling her in. Violet looked around desperately for something to grab onto. Tilly reached out her hand and grabbed Violet's. She yanked and yanked, but her strength couldn't compare to that of the Special. "He must have been in the gym 24/7!" Tilly thought. Violet fell back through the hole. "Noooooooo…….!" she screamed. Tilly peered through the hole, and saw Violet being dragged away. Tilly glanced up. There was a Special just around the corner.


	9. Leaving Town

**LEAVING TOWN**

Tilly ran as fast as she could. She ran to the entrance of the mall, where her board was parked. She had plugged it into the powerpoint that was located in the hoverboard parker. The hoverboard parker had a small plastic dome that opened. This dome was attached to the ground. You parked your hoverboard under the dome, where it sat on the ground. To open the dome, you needed a finger print reading. Tilly jammed her finger onto the top of the dome. Lasers read her finger print, and the dome opened. The Special was just meters away from her now. Tilly stuck her finger onto the top of the hoverboard. It read her finger print and the board sprung to life, enjoying its new burst of energy from the powerpoint. Tilly jumped up onto the board, steadied herself, and shot away. The Special ran after Tilly, but he didn't have a hoverboard. He'd never catch up. Tilly sped down the hill and back towards her family.

Explosions were going off everywhere about a kilometre from where Tilly was, but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was get home to her family. At that time, Tilly was on Main Street. All she had to do was turn down Maple Avenue and into Yellowbox Drive and she'd be home. Suddenly, everything went dark, the only light provided by the not-so-distant explosions. The power plant must have blown up – it ran still on oil. The backup solar batteries in the street lamps kicked into life, and the street was lit again. Tilly could hear people screaming. A tear came to her eye. How could this be happening? Tilly pulled into Yellowbox Drive and glanced at her mother's large, bulky SUV sitting in Yellowbox park. Soon enough it would blow up. Tilly shuddered, and decided that it was best to get a move on. Tilly turned into her driveway and stared into the windows of her house. It appeared that it was very dark inside. Had her family left, or had they waited for her to return from "putting something in the bin?" Tilly jumped off her hoverboard and ran to the front door. She placed her finger on the door handle. Betty was still alive from back-up batteries. "Hello, Tilly," she greeted.

It was dark inside the house, but Tilly knew her way. She had lived in this house all her life. Soon enough the house would blow, but her memories never would. Tilly couldn't hear anything. A shiver ran down her spine. "Hello?" she called into the darkness. No one replied. "It's Tilly," Tilly called shakily. Light spun around the corner. It was mum, holding a candle. Tilly sighed with relief. "Where the hell were you!" Mum asked angrily. Something blew up, but this time it sounded quite close to the house.

"Mum, I can't tell you now, we don't have enough time," Tilly said. "I need you to get some food that doesn't require refrigeration, and I'll go upstairs and get clothes for all of us. Tell Jane to get some back backs, and tell Sean to get his portable computer. I hope it's charged." Mum stared at Tilly, as if she was mad.

"Why?" Mum asked.

"Just do it!" Tilly cried angrily. Tilly marched into the kitchen, which was lighted with candles, plucked one from its holder, and ran up the stairs and into her bedroom. She opened her wardrobe and glanced at her small collection of clothes. She grabbed a long coat that stretched right down the ground and wrapped it around the school jumpsuit she was wearing. Next, Tilly grabbed 3 jumpsuits and some sneakers, and some underwear. Tilly kicked off her high heel boots, and slid the sneakers on. Tilly grabbed her matching scarf and hat from their hook on the back of her door. Her mother had given these to her – they had been her's when she was a child. Tilly hurried into her siblings' and parents' room and collected some of their clothes, and started to make her way down the stairs. Tilly stopped, and ran back up to her bedroom. She snatched her necklace from her dresser and put it around her neck – this necklace was one that Tilly and Violet both had – they had bought the same necklace, as a symbol of their friendship. Tilly left her room and plunged down the stairs and into the hallway.

Sean had gotten his computer. Mum had gotten the food. Jane had gotten the backpacks. Tilly shoved everything into the backpacks, and distributed them amongst her family members. Explosions went off blocks away. It was time to go. Tilly ran into the garage and found her siblings' hoverboards. She found dad's hoverboard as we well – mum would ride it. Tilly ran back into the house and gave each of her family members a hoverboard. "Follow me," Tilly instructed. "And watch out, things are blowing up everywhere out there." Tilly marched out into the back garden, and started her hoverboard. Her family followed suit. "Er, Tilly, I've never hoverboarded before," Mum said nervously.

"We haven't done it for years," Jane said, gesturing towards her and Sean.

"You'll be fine!" Tilly snapped. Tilly jumped onto her hoverboard, and tied her hair up with a ribbon. "On the count of three," Tilly said. "1, 2…." Tilly was interrupted. Something blew up down the street. The explosion ripped through the street, blowing things up in its path. No one needed to wait for three. They leaned forward and flew away.

**(I've finished! I'm going to bring out the sequel very soon, hopefully!)**

**Peaceout!**


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